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Marvell LiquidSecurity Fortifies Microsoft Azure Cloud HSM
Marvell unveils Microsoft selected Marvell's LiquidSecurity HSMs for the Azure Cloud HSM service meeting surging demand for HSMs due to increasing cyberattacks and strict compliance regulations.
Key Highlights
- Microsoft selected Marvell's LiquidSecurity HSMs for its Azure Cloud HSM service.
- The partnership expands on Marvell's existing support for Azure Key Vault and Managed HSM services.
- Demand for HSMs is surging due to increasing cyberattacks and strict compliance regulations.
- Marvell's competitive edge comes from its cloud-native PCIe card design, which offers superior performance and efficiency.
- Azure Cloud HSM is a fully managed, single-tenant service that meets critical security and compliance standards.
- The collaboration positions Microsoft and Marvell to lead the growing HSM-as-a-service market.
The News
Marvell Technology, Inc., a provider of data infrastructure semiconductor solutions, announced that Microsoft has selected the Marvell LiquidSecurity family of hardware security modules (HSMs) for Microsoft Azure Cloud HSM. For more information, read the Marvell press release.
Analyst Take
Marvell Technology has announced that Microsoft has chosen its LiquidSecurity family of hardware security modules (HSMs) for the Microsoft Azure Cloud HSM service. Marvell's LiquidSecurity HSMs already power Microsoft's Azure Key Vault and Azure Key Vault Managed HSM services. This expanded collaboration means Marvell will now also support Azure Cloud HSM.
The Azure Cloud HSM is built as a highly available, single-tenant service that allows customers to manage cryptographic keys and perform cryptographic operations within a dedicated, cloud-based HSM cluster. This service, which is FIPS 140-3 Level 3 certified, gives customers secure, end-to-end encrypted access over a private, dedicated link from their virtual network.
Why HSM is Rising
I see that the increasing frequency and sophistication of cyberattacks are a primary driver of the HSMs market. Organizations across all sectors, from finance and healthcare to government and technology, are facing an unprecedented number of data breaches, ransomware attacks, and other cyber threats. HSMs provide a crucial layer of security by protecting cryptographic keys and sensitive data within a tamper-resistant hardware environment.
This level of protection is essential for organizations that handle high-value data, as it ensures the integrity of transactions, authenticates users, and safeguards against both external and internal threats. As the digital landscape becomes more complex, the need for robust, hardware-based security solutions to serve as a root of trust is growing swiftly.
Another key driver is the strict regulatory environment and the push towards data privacy and security compliance. Frameworks such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) mandate strong encryption and secure key management for sensitive information.
HSMs are a fundamental tool for meeting these requirements, as they provide an auditable and secure way to manage the entire lifecycle of cryptographic keys. Furthermore, the rapid adoption of cloud computing, the proliferation of digital payments, and the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) are all creating new use cases for HSMs, driving demand for both on-premises and cloud-based solutions. Specifically, Marvell shared in the announcement that the HSM-as-a-service market revenue is expected to grow at 8.5% per year through 2029 (according to ABI Research).
Marvell Reshaping the HSM Competitive Landscape
Marvell faces competition in the hardware security modules (HSMs) market from established companies such as Thales Group, Utimaco, IBM, and Entrust. These competitors have long provided enterprises with traditional, on-premises HSMs, often in a physical pizza box appliance format. This traditional model requires customers to install and manage the hardware directly in their own data centers.
From my perspective, Marvell's key competitive advantage comes from its innovative, cloud-centric approach. Its LiquidSecurity HSMs are designed as a PCIe card rather than a standalone appliance. This unique form factor is built specifically for the multi-tenant, high-density environments of hyperscale cloud providers. This design gives Marvell's solution a significant edge in performance, power efficiency, and scalability, making it a powerful choice for the growing HSM-as-a-Service market.
I discern that Marvell's LiquidSecurity HSMs can offer significant performance and efficiency advantages over traditional solutions. Powered by Marvell's OCTEON data processing units (DPUs), these HSMs can handle a high number of cryptographic operations per second while using significantly less power and occupying a fraction of the physical space. This efficiency directly results in a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) for cloud service providers.
The PCIe card format of the LiquidSecurity platform provides breakthrough scalability and multi-tenancy. It allows for a single card to manage a massive number of keys and secure partitions, making it well-suited for the HSM-as-a-service model. This cloud-native design integrates directly into servers, enabling providers to offer HSM services with lower latency and greater flexibility. The platform also offers cryptographic agility, with the ability to be updated in the field to support new algorithms, including post-quantum cryptography, which future-proofs the hardware and ensures long-term security.
Microsoft Azure Cloud HSM: Delivering Competitive Benefits
From my viewpoint, Microsoft Azure Cloud HSM offers a variety of competitive advantages over traditional on-premises HSMs and other cloud services. First, it provides a fully managed and highly available service. This means that while customers keep full administrative control over their HSMs, Microsoft takes care of all the hardware management, patching, and maintenance. This approach can eliminate the large initial costs and operational hassles of managing physical HSMs in a data center. The service is also designed for high availability, automatically synchronizing keys and policies across a cluster of HSMs and moving resources to healthy nodes if there is a failure.
Second, the service is built to meet strict regulatory and compliance standards. Azure Cloud HSM provides a single-tenant environment, giving each customer their own dedicated HSM cluster that is securely isolated from other users. It is also FIPS 140-3 Level 3 validated, which is a crucial requirement for highly regulated industries such as financial services and government. This high level of security and its single-tenant design can provide the confidence customers need to move their most sensitive workloads to the cloud.
Looking Ahead
Overall I expect that more organizations will prioritize administrative control over their HSMs alongside avoiding the high costs and management hassles of running their own HSM clusters. As a result, Microsoft Azure through its partnership with Marvell is solidly positioned to ensure that its customers have the most secure and compliant key management services available in public, sovereign, or government clouds.
Cloud spending continues to be a major driver of the HSM market, as service providers work to support the growing demands of confidential computing and cloud sovereignty. Marvell, which pioneered the category of cloud-optimized HSMs, is ready to play an integral role in driving ecosystem-wide adoption and innovation of HSM capabilities.
Ron Westfall | Analyst In Residence
Ron Westfall is a prominent analyst figure in technology and business transformation. Recognized as a Top 20 Analyst by AR Insights and a Tech Target contributor, his insights are featured in major media such as CNBC, Schwab Network, and NMG Media.
His expertise covers transformative fields such as Hybrid Cloud, AI Networking, Security Infrastructure, Edge Cloud Computing, Wireline/Wireless Connectivity, and 5G-IoT. Ron bridges the gap between C-suite strategic goals and the practical needs of end users and partners, driving technology ROI for leading organizations.